The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder and also denied his request for an increased rating for his bilateral foot disability. The claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence, and he was not granted a higher rating for his foot condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no causal nexus between the Veteran's diagnosed mental health disorder and service, and that the existing medical records do not provide sufficient evidence to reopen this claim. For the bilateral foot disability, the Board determined that the current evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disorder, bilateral foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2013
- Citation
- 1341911
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1341911.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a new examination to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding her symptoms during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral foot disability and back disability have been granted due to the submission of new evidence. The AOJ is required to readjudicate these claims.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeals for the service connection of multiple conditions, including low back disability, bilateral foot disability, cervical spine disability, migraines, right hand and shoulder disabilities, right wrist disability, asthma (claimed as Gulf War Syndrome), chronic fatigue syndrome, dysmenorrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and sleep disability. As a result, these claims are dismissed.
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